Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has officially kicked off his campaign to become prime minister ahead of a highly contentious snap parliamentary election scheduled for October 25. Addressing a crowd of thousands inside Belgrade Arena on Saturday, the populist leader pledged a decisive triumph for his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in the upcoming national vote.
The early election was triggered after Vucic abruptly resigned from the presidency on September 27, truncating his second mandate by more than seven months. Because the Serbian constitution prohibits a third consecutive term as head of state, Vucic is seeking to retain his dominant grip on national power by transitioning back to the premier's office, a position he previously occupied between 2014 and 2017.
Hundreds of charter buses converged on Belgrade from across the country, heavily congesting streets surrounding the arena as loyalists carrying national banners gathered for the televised event. The rally marked the climax of a nationwide tour intended to consolidate popular backing following months of political attrition and persistent civil demonstrations that have eroded the ruling party's baseline support.
The snap ballot is expected to be closely contested, with Vucic facing a potent challenge from a youth-led opposition coalition known as the Student List. The political formation gained momentum following the tragic collapse of an outdoor concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people and sparked intense public outrage over systemic infrastructure neglect and institutional corruption.
Striking a combative tone, Vucic accused opposition forces of attempting to paralyze the nation and insinuated that hostile foreign intelligence entities were meddling in Serbia's domestic affairs. Addressing the arena, he claimed that barring direct external intervention orchestrated by foreign services, his political coalition would comfortably defeat its domestic opponents at the ballot box.
Source: www.aljazeera.com